Accreditation Procedures

The pre-visit preparation

The Self-study report:

In addressing questions, those writing the report are encouraged to provide a 1-2 paragraph summary response to questions with some (limited) accompanying information, if necessary, to illustrate how the item is addressed in their unit. For example, reference to a business/strategic plan is a satisfactory way to provide the mission statement, unit objectives, organizational chart, financial statements, etc.

Schools being visited should send, on a usb drive, their pre-visit materials directly to the site visitoris with a copy to the CACME Secretariat. Additionally the school should maintain a copy in their Office.

Selected examples of requested material (pamphlets, minutes, course reports, etc) should be sent to the visitors rather than exhaustive copies. Further examples should be available for inspection at the time of the site visit.

General Documents to submit:

In addition to the material listed under each standard, the CME/CPD office should submit the following:

Recommendations made at the time of the last visit and any interim reports, and list the changes made in response to them.

What does the CME/CPD office do particularly well in its CME program?

What needs to be improved? How does the CME/CPD office plan to do it?

The Site Visit Team

The CACME Secretary will appoint two site visitors who will be provided with the self-study report at least four weeks prior to the visit. The site visitors are selected according to their backgrounds and experience in CME and medical school affairs.

The site visit is conducted over two days. During this time, the visitors meet with people in the Faculty of Medicine / Health Sciences (including the Dean), the CME/CPD office, and relevant hospitals and communities, who have any pertinent stakeholder role. The visitors collect information as described in each standard.

The Site Visit Report

Following the visit, the site visitors submit a report to CACME based on all the information collected, and a rating for each standard based on its evaluation criteria. The site visit report will be presented and discussed at the next CACME meeting, and a decision regarding accreditation will be duly made.

Accreditation Determination

CACME bases its accreditation determination on the site visit report. In the normal course of events, CACME does not review any of the primary documents submitted by the CME/CPD offices - it reviews only the site visit report. However, CACME does have the option to review any documents in the course of their deliberations. It should be noted that the final decisions regarding accreditation are the sole responsibility of CACME. The site visitors are directed explicitly to refrain from making any recommendations.